Anika Moa

Singer-songwriter Anika Moa admits she wanted to be a rugby player. "I played for Canterbury for years. But I chose music". The decision paid off: in 2000 she became the first New Zealander to sign to an international record label without a home release. Although her debut album Thinking Room produced hit singles (‘Youthful', 'Falling in Love Again'), Moa wanted to "stay true to herself and her musical path", and returned to her Kiwi roots in 2002. Since then she has recorded a series of popular albums, and also composed music for a run of documentaries.